Yes, I know, I haven't posted for some time now. Excuses, I have none, but life certainly gets in the way, and I went through a dry spell.
Revelation 12:1 NASB
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;
I am focusing on this passage because, within my relatively small circle of teachers, this was a hot topic for several years, and many of these teachers were not afraid to point out that we are in the season in which Jesus will come to snatch away the church.
If you have been a follower of my posts, then you know I equated this season to the American Baseball World Series. We recently finished the World Series in October of this year. To bring you up to speed on why this is poignant to Revelation 12, the World Series has variables built into the game, and so does the great sign.
The King James conveys Revelation 12:1 in this manner:
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:”
I advocate studying the simplest words and phrases, so let's start with this.
A great -
The Strong's number is G3173. It is the Greek word mégas; fem. megále, neut. Méga. It is an adjective (a word that describes;) and implies great size, largeness, or physical magnitude.
The Word study dictionary also speaks of men or creatures, indicating great size or stature.
Without explanatory details, we can understand that this "sign" is enormous.
Sign -
Sign is the Strong's # G4592. It is the Greek word sēmeion. It is a noun and means sign, mark, token, or a miracle with a spiritual end and purpose.
An obvious factor is that we know this is NOT a miracle, therefore we will cling to it being a sign, mark or token.
What can I make of this so far?
In John's writings, it is portrayed as something of tremendous size whose purpose is to mark an end. John wrote about a time in the future, and we live in that time.
Why didn't anyone tell me about this before?
Revelation 12:1 KJV And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
There appeared -
Feel free to look at other translations if you can access another.
Appeared is the Greek word optánomai. This is Strong's # G3700 – and the reference implies with eyes wide open.
There is a clear sense that the Spirit wants us to take this in and understand.
If this is the arrangement of stars and heavenly bodies that make up the constellation Virgo, you can be confident that, for us, this constellation did not merely appear in the sky. What changed, and rather suddenly, was that other planets and moving objects, such as moons, comets, and asteroids, combined to create this sign.
According to the website “EarthSky.org”, this was initiated around September 17, 2017, and has continued to demonstrate God's prophetic word ever since. This “scientific” website also tells us that the constellation represents a harvest goddess.
In searching for answers, I stumbled upon this website: https://www.torahtimes.org/writings/date-clarified/article.html – here, we look at this constellation from a Jewish point of view. Considering that the entirety of our mindset should be Jewish, I thought this would be important. The following are excerpts from their site.
“The word “sign” is first mentioned in Gen. 1:141, where it is explained, “Then they will have been for signs and for appointed times, and for days, and years.”
“The woman is the constellation Virgo. This is an autumn seasonal sign when the sun conjuncts with it. The sun is also said to be in it in the autumn, or in front of it.”
The sun's placement and timing would not seem important; however, it plays a role as the scene demonstrates God's plan of redemption and salvation of humanity, should they decide to jump on board.
As a youth, these “night objects” were nothing more than interesting and pretty lights in the sky. What began to change my thinking was that the magi from the east, whom we understand to have been trained by Daniel while he, too, was in Babylonian captivity, the Magi used those lights to lead them to the Messiah. Add to this that Herod ordered the Scribes and Pharisees of the Jews to testify before him as to what sign the Magi had followed and the significance of such a sign. They knew that it was an indication of the birth of Jesus the Messiah, and they had chosen not to ascribe to it as the Magi had.
The “torahtimes.org” goes on to say that “Virgo is the greatest of the constellations which mark the course of the sun, just as the text says, “a great sign.”” Of all the ecliptic constellations, it is the second largest. The largest constellation is Hydra, but this one does not lie along the ecliptic course of the sun, and it is only slightly larger.
Significant information.
“The sun moves into a new constellation almost every month. In September the sun lies in front of the constellation of Virgo. So this sign is giving us the seasonal date of Messiah’s birth.”
Wouldn't it be awesome if this was the year that it marked the return of Jesus, the Messiah, to collect His bride?
“Now when the sun is in a constellation sign its glare keeps the stars from being seen. However ancient astronomers back to Persian times (think about Daniel when you read this) knew exactly which stars the sun was in conjunction with even though they could not see past the sun. They determined this by observing the constellation at night in another season and then calculating the sun’s position when it moved into the sign. We must consider that Yoɦanan is seeing with the eyes of the Ruaɦ Elohım (this is the Hebrew equivalent to the Holy Spirit,) in the vision, and that though the constellation is clothed with the sun, he (John the beloved,) is enabled to see it and the selected stars at the head of it.”
“The stars are there, but he (John) is only shown twelve. There are really many more than twelve stars.
He is only shown twelve stars because the stars are supposed to give an additional message to the reader. These stars are the twelve tribes of Yisra‘ɛl (Israel). So we see a second message layered within the astronomical sign—about Yisra‘ɛl.
Later in the passage, we also see that the woman is more than just a constellation.”
“The position of the moon is given under the feet of the woman. In order to appreciate this we have to know at what angle this sign is typically viewed. As viewed from earth near sunset at the start of the feast day the vision appears like this simulated image. The atmosphere setting for the Stellarium 0.14.1 software has been turned off in the simulation. Otherwise the glare of the sun would fill the whole constellation. This makes the metaphor “clothed with the sun” sensible.”
“The position of the moon on three days is as follows:
8/30 after sun sets The Moon is under the hip and not visible. 8/31 after sun sets New Moon first visible (Tishri 1) under feet and legs. 9/1 after sun sets. Moon under empty space, (Tishri 2) between Libra and Virgo.
“The correct position is for sunset 8/31(August), which is the beginning of Yom Teruah, a scriptural feast day, also called Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpet”(s.)
"The sun only covers (“clothes”) the constellation Virgo in the fall, and this recurs every year. Likewise, when the moon is near the sun to the east of the sun, then it is likely to be a new moon. The lineup with the legs shows that it is a new moon. I should note that in Hebrew and also the Greek used by the Jews, the word “feet” also means “legs.”
The lineup of the moon, as described, does not occur nearly as well in other years, and in some years, not at all. This is because the sun varies its location in the constellation as the new moon day moves back and forth for about 30 days. And often the locations are not ideal.”
“Interpreting the Parable of Rev. 12:1-2”
“The simple astronomical explanation given above corresponds to all the details in the passage."
"The constellation of Virgo is a woman who is clothed with the sun in the fall, and under her feet was the new moon, and there are at least twelve stars near the head."
The constellation is a sign."
It is also a great sign.
"At the time of the sign, the woman was in labor to give birth. The only year that matched the sign exactly, and exactly with the priestly divisions, was 2 BC on August 31. (Which happened to be the birth of Jesus.)
Yet, most amazingly, and most incredibly, almost everyone in the Christian world hastens to DENY that this is what the sign means.”
“Yeshu‘a has his reasons, and he stated them in part here (See Matthew 13:10-17)2. Messiah did not just tell parables himself while on earth. But through the Spirit he tells parables in the Scripture. There are quite a number of chronological ciphers both in the Torah and Prophets and also in the Apostolic Writings (a.k.a. New Testament). Revelation 12:1-2 is one of them.”
Wouldn't it be awesome if God decided it was time for Jesus to come and harvest His bride?
Many tried to make me aware of this sign, and I did what most of you do; I ignored the information because it was too much, and I integrated the demonic association of the stars (astrology) with astronomy, a scientific observation of the universe.
in heaven -
Strong's #G3772. It is the Greek word ouranos and means the sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of God).
Now, we can ascertain that this great sign will be in the heavens, the sky, among the stars.
a woman -
Woman is the Greek word gune. It is the Strong's #G1096 and means a woman, specifically a wife: G1135.
She represents Israel, Eve who is the birth mother that led to Israel, and Jesus.
Assuming you have been paying attention, then you know that the first scriptural reference that demonstrates the plan of salvation and redemption of humanity, even if they should reject that plan, is through the woman Eve, with not only the birth of Israel, once again, but also the birth of Jesus.
Why Jesus?
Since the fall of humanity in the garden, we are ALL tainted in our DNA and carry traits that motivate us to SIN.
The Defenders Study Bible tells us that Genesis 3:15 is
“the first promise of redemption (Gen_3:15) is commonly known as the protevangel (first gospel). In its essence, the gospel (good news) is the message that the Creator is also our Redeemer and coming King and that true faith in Him—faith which produces salvation—will also produce loving obedience to His Word.”
I will tell you that I had never heard the term protevangel until the 70th year of my life. However, I was adept enough to realize that the plan of redemption, though somewhat masked in terminology, was there in God's adversarial opposition to Satan.
The passage reads like this.
Genesis 3:15 MKJV And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.
A more readable translation.
Genesis 3:15 BBE And there will be war between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed: by him will your head be crushed and by you his foot will be wounded.
Pay attention to words and phrases such as enmity (what does that mean?) and “between your seed and her Seed.”
Enmity can be interchanged with hostility, antagonism, ill-will, and hatred. As you can see, the Bible in Basic English says there will be a war. When you read that the war began long ago in the heavens, you might wonder why it has continued for so long.
In the Gospel of Luke, it is recorded:
Luke 10:18 MKJV And He said to them, I saw Satan fall from Heaven like lightning.
Satan did not merely trip and fall off the edge; he fought against the heavenly forces and lost. God himself threw Satan out of heaven. You might think that God was sufficient to kill Satan like a bug, but Satan, like the angels, is an eternal being and cannot be killed; therefore, Satan is still alive, and we see him in the Book of Job, approaching God with the Sons of God. Note: God does not waste time with idle threats, and that is why we will also see Satan locked up for a thousand years and then permanently, forever.
Ezekiel also describes the end result of this battle.
Ezekiel 28:15-16 MKJV You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created until iniquity was found in you. 16 By the multitude of your goods, they have filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned. So I cast you profaned from the height of God, and I destroy you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire.
And Isaiah speaks of Satan being brought down.
Isaiah 14:13-15 MKJV For you have said in your heart, I will go up to the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. 14 I will go up above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. 15 Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the Pit.
We are still considering Genesis 3:15.
As many will tell you, the woman does not carry the seed but the result of the interaction of a seed from the male with the egg of the woman. In the case of Mary, from the point in which she agreed to be a participant, the Holy Spirit came upon her, and she became merely the carrier of a fertile egg that He created, and that became Jesus.
Why couldn't God use one of the eggs from Mary's womb?
Because of the actions of Adam and Eve in the Garden, where they both partook of the fruit that changed their DNA, they impacted the lineage of all humanity.
Let's assume you don't believe that could happen.
What do you think is happening when you take a mRNA vaccine that is openly declared to change your DNA? It changes your DNA. This is why God had to make a fertilized egg absent the typical path of fertilization, and Mary simply carried it as a surrogate mother through the birth process. Jesus, by this process, may have looked and acted like a human, but He did NOT have damaged DNA that pushed and motivated Him to sin, as it does us, and, therefore, had no sin.
So, Satan has been in a perpetual war with the seed, the lineage of Eve, ever since that day.
Proof?
Genesis 4:8 MKJV And Cain talked with his brother Abel. And it happened when they were in the field; Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
The firstborn child of Adam and Eve killed the secondborn over a sacrifice, which was easy to resolve by following the instructions. We, in scripture, do not see the specifics of those instructions, but the understanding that it happened is there if you are willing to look for it.
The “logical” mind will say this verse does not say that Satan killed Abel. It does not have to. We already know that Satan will try to kill off the seed of the woman, and as you continue to study, you will find that God uses people motivated by Satan and his demons to carry out the destructive side of evil.
1) Genesis 1:14 BSB And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.
2) Matthew 13:10-17 BSB Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ 14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
